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Patent Application 18181382 - Autonomous Drone System and Method - Rejection

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Patent Application 18181382 - Autonomous Drone System and Method

Title: Autonomous Drone System and Method

Application Information

  • Invention Title: Autonomous Drone System and Method
  • Application Number: 18181382
  • Submission Date: 2025-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
  • Effective Filing Date: 2023-03-09T00:00:00.000Z
  • Filing Date: 2023-03-09T00:00:00.000Z
  • National Class: 701
  • National Sub-Class: 120000
  • Examiner Employee Number: 100511
  • Art Unit: 3669
  • Tech Center: 3600

Rejection Summary

  • 102 Rejections: 0
  • 103 Rejections: 1

Cited Patents

The following patents were cited in the rejection:

Office Action Text


    DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA  or AIA  Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .

Examiner’s Note
IDS(s) filed 10/29/2024 has/have not been refurnished with this Office Action as a signed copy was previously provided with the Office Action dated 1/27/2025.

Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Amendments filed 4/28/2025 appear to incorrectly cite paragraph numbers from the published application US 2023/0290254 A1 instead of the instant application. Since the paragraph numbers in the published application are not the same, the amendments point towards incorrect paragraph numbers of the instant application. Examiner proposes that amendments for paragraphs 0007, 0009, 0011, and 0050 are actually for paragraphs 006, 008, 0010, and 0046 respectively of the instant application. While examiner will interpret these amendments in this manner, examiner recommends providing corrected amendments with the correctly cited paragraph numbers from the instant application. 
Appropriate correction is required.

Claim Objections
Claims 1, 11, and 21 are objected to because of the following informalities: 
Claim 1 line 8, claim 11 line 9, and claim 21 line 8 reads “[[and” which appears to be an amendment error. “[[and” will be interpreted as being removed in its entirety. Examiner recommends amending to close the brackets such that it reads “[[and]]” to indicate deletion of the word and to remove any confusion.
Appropriate correction is required.

Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA  35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA  to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.  
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.

Claim(s) 1-30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ali et al. US 2022/0351627 A1 (hereinafter Ali) in view of Park et al. KR 20120047526 A (hereinafter Park; a translated copy has been provided which the examiner relies upon).
Regarding claims 1, 11, and 21, Ali teaches a computer-implemented method executed on a computing device (paragraph 0066 teaches a computer implemented method executed on a general purpose processor which is understood by the examiner to be a computing device); a computer program product residing on a non-transitory computer readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations (paragraph 0067 teaches computer readable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium that performs the method when executed by a processor); and a computing system including a processor (paragraph 0066 teaches a general purpose processor) and memory (paragraph 0066 teaches a programmable read only memory) configured to perform operations (paragraph 0066 teaches computer implemented instructions for executing the method on a general purpose processor) comprising:
monitoring a plurality of drones (Abstract teaches determining flight conflict between two or more UAVs) moving within a controlled space (Abstract teaches controlling UAVs according to a specified geographic regions);
receiving a request from an additional drone seeking permission to move within the controlled space (Figure 9 710 and 910 teach receiving a flight path into a controlled geographic cell and a request to approve the path from another UAV);
plotting an additional navigation path through the controlled space (Figure 9 730 teaches that new navigational instructions is produced) based, at least in part, upon the plurality of drones (Figure 9 730 teaches that the navigation instructions prevent conflict with one or more UAVs) and known obstacles within the controlled space (paragraph 0094 teaches that navigation determination is based on obstructions in the geographic space; obstructions are understood as a type of obstacle to the examiner); 
providing the additional navigation path to the additional drone (Figure 9 730 teaches that new navigational instructions are provided to one or more UAVs to avoid conflict; paragraph 0085 more explicitly details rerouting the requesting drone); and
securing the additional navigation path (paragraph 0085 details rerouting the requesting drone) utilizing one or more of data encryption (paragraph 0032 teach all communications between UAVs, which would include communications regarding navigation path, are encrypted) and blockchain technology (paragraph 0044 teach using blockchain entries when updating route information).
Ali does not teach processing a medical assistance request and defining a location for the medical assistance request.
Park teaches processing a medical assistance request (translated page 5 paragraph 11 discloses receiving a medical assistance request and decrypting it) and defining a location for the medical assistance request (translated page 5 paragraph 11 discloses obtaining location information from the request's encrypted data).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have modified Ali to incorporate the teachings of Park with a reasonable expectation of success to improve routing by considering the needed medical attention and location of a person needing the UAV.
Regarding claims 2, 12, and 22, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 1, 11, and 21 as described above. Ali further teaches obtaining weather information from a weather resource (paragraph 0073 teaches using weather data from one or more weather data severs).
Regarding claims 3, 13, and 23, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 2, 12, and 22 as described above. Ali further teaches considering the weather information when plotting the additional navigation path through the controlled space (paragraph 0073 teaches using weather data for navigation determination).
Regarding claims 4, 14, and 24, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 1, 11, and 21 as described above. Ali further teaches obtaining restricted airspace information (paragraph 0053 teaches airspace information being obtained from regulatory data servers) and/or air traffic information (paragraph 0073 teaches using air traffic data from air traffic data servers) from an aviation authority (paragraph 0051 teaches air traffic data severs may be from the Federal Aviation Administration; paragraph 0053 teaches regulatory data servers may be from Federal Aviation Administration).
Regarding claims 5, 15, and 25, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 4, 14, and 24 as described above. Ali further teaches considering the restricted airspace information and/or air traffic information when plotting the additional navigation path through the controlled space (paragraph 0073 teaches using air traffic and regulatory data for navigation determination).
Regarding claims 6, 16, and 26, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 1, 11, and 21 as described above. Ali further teaches obtaining charge / range information for the additional drone (paragraph 0070 teaches using UAV attributes like maximum range).
Regarding claims 7, 17, and 27, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 6, 16, and 26 as described above. Ali further teaches (paragraph 0070 teaches using UAV attributes like maximum range in the deconfliction module which is what determines navigational paths)
Regarding claims 8, 18, and 28, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 1, 11, and 21 as described above. Ali further teaches that each of the plurality of drones moving within a controlled space has a defined navigation path, thus defining a plurality of navigation paths (paragraph 0005 teaches flight path data of two or more UAVs i.e., a plurality of navigation paths).
Regarding claims 9, 19, and 29, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 8, 18, and 28 as described above. Ali further teaches securing one or more of the plurality of navigation paths (paragraph 0115 teaches carrying out the alternative proposed flight path for the additional UAV; paragraph 0085 teaches carrying out the proposed flight path for one or more UAVs to avoid conflict with the additional UAV).
Regarding claims 10, 20, and 30, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 9, 19, and 29 as described above. Ali further teaches that securing one or more of the plurality of navigation paths includes one or more of:
utilizing data encryption to secure one or more of the plurality of navigation paths (paragraph 0032 teaches all communications between UAVs, which would inherently include communications regarding navigation path, are encrypted); and
utilizing data encryption to secure one or more of the plurality of navigation paths (paragraph 0044 teaches using blockchain entries when updating route information).

Response to Amendment
Claim amendments filed 4/28/2025 have been received and fully considered. Claim amendments overcome the 101 rejections, 112(b) rejections, and claim objections cited within the Office Action dated 1/27/2025 and thus these objections have been withdrawn. Claim amendments include additional minor informalities that have required further objection within this Office Action as detailed above.
Specification amendments filed 4/28/2025 have been received and fully considered. Specification amendments provide new grounds for objection due to errors citing paragraph numbers. See above objections. Specification amendments would overcome objections previously cited within the Office Action dated 1/27/2025 if they cited paragraphs correctly, and thus these objections have been withdrawn. Examiner notes that if the citation of paragraphs was not incorrect like the examiner posits, future Office Actions may reinstate these objections.

Response to Arguments
	Applicant arguments filed 4/28/2025 have been received and fully considered.
	On pages 11-12, applicant argues that the amendments of record overcome the 101 rejections, 112(b) rejections, and objections cited within the Office Action dated 1/27/2025. Examiner agrees as detailed above. These objections and rejections have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-30 under 35 USC 102(a)(2) have been fully considered and are persuasive.  Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn.  However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Ali in view of Park. See 103 rejection above.

Documents Considered But Not Relied Upon
Ali et al. US 2021/0304625 A1 teaches coordinating a search operation of a multitude of drones within a specified area.
Ali et al. US 2024/0133693 A1 teaches controlling only one drone and utilizing weather, air traffic and range data in order to determine navigational path.
Agrawal et al. US 2024/0274016 A1 teaches a UAV requesting to enter a geofences area.
Stewart et al. US 2021/0312817 A1 teaches managing UAV airspace by enforcing airspace regulations.
Sprengart et al. US 2022/0172629 A1 teaches temporally managing flight paths of a plurality of UAV flights throughout a specified region.
Millhouse US 2019/0041854 A1 teaches a mobile device that identifies a medical incident and sends the incident information with location information to a computing device wherein the computing device dispatches a drone to the location.

Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ashley Tiffany Schoech whose telephone number is (571)272-2937. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 am - 4:30 pm PST Monday - Thursday and 7:00 am - 3:30 pm PST every other Friday.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Erin Piateski can be reached on 571-270-7429. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/A.T.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3669                                                                                                                                                                                           
/Erin M Piateski/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3669                                                                                                                                                                                                        




    
        
            
        
            
        
            
        
            
        
            
        
            
        
            
        
            
        
            
    


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